1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the study of the principles of light, and more specifically, it relates to a device having pre-assembled and selectively alignable optical, mechanical and electrical components usable as an aid in the study of optical principles.
2. Description of Related Art
There has been a great deal of academic research to improve students"" conceptual understanding of physics through the use of hands-on learning methods. Priscilla W. Laws and the Activity-Based Group from Dickinson College developed three activity-based introductory physics curricula called Workshop Physics, Tools for Scientific Thinking, and RealTime Physics. These activity-based methods help teachers and their students learn physics. Paul D""Alessandris from Monroe Community College in Rochester, N.Y. developed the curriculum program xe2x80x9cSPIRAL Physics Active Learning Workbookxe2x80x9d to improve students"" conceptual understanding of physics and problem-solving ability. Lillian C. McDermott and the Physics Education Group from the University of Washington investigated student difficulties in learning geometrical optics and the wave model [see L. C. McDermott and the Physics Education Group at the University of Washington, Physics by Inquiry, (Wiley, N.Y., 1996) Vols. I and II]. The Physics Education Group developed Physics by Inquiry, an inquiry-based curricula for introductory physics. Gareth T. Williams from San Jose State University developed the Lase Project (Laser Applications in Science Education) to provide hands-on workshop for physics teachers using Hexe2x80x94Ne lasers to study optics and applications of lasers. These teaching methods rely on hands-on activities to demonstrate the various principles.
The existing methods for teaching the principles of light, by way of its detection and manipulation, involve the arranging, aligning and assembling of multiple components to perform each learning exercise. Typically, the student will use optics kits, which contain the various components such as lenses, holders, prisms, a light bulb or laser diode source, etc. Companies that sell these kits include Laser LightLab Inc. (San Jose, Calif.), PASCO Scientific (Roseville, Calif.), Metrologic Instruments (Blackwood, N.J.), and Edmund Scientific Company (Barrington, N.J.). In all of the known cases, the student must assemble the kit""s components together prior to conducting the demonstration or experiment. It is desirable that an approach would be provided which would eliminate nearly all of the set-up time to save time for teachers and students in the classroom and reduce their frustration in locating components. It is also desirable that such approach would allow students to concentrate on the physics issues, rather than on the details of the mechanical assembly.
The subject invention is based on employing a mechanism to selectively introduce optics or other components into the optical train at pre-determined locations. This approach of rotating an optical component into an optical train is used in other inventions. For example, the laboratory microscope contains three or more objective lenses mounted on a rotating stage. Images are observed at different magnifications as each lens is rotated into place. A carousel projector is a revolving tray from which slides are fed one at a time into the projector. A toy viewer shows the user images of objects, by rotating the images on the circular disc into view. During eye exams, an optometrist uses an optimeter instrument to determine error in the refractive power of the patient""s eye. The optometrist rotates the corrective lenses within the optimeter to evaluate the patient""s vision. The subject invention similarly relies on the use of selectable optical modules, where the component can be switched to pre-determined location in the optical train.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved demonstration tool for teaching the physics of light.
It is another object of the invention to provide a easy-to-use, teaching tool, for the purpose of elucidating the principles of light and its associated technologies.
All of the optics and components can be embedded into sliding or rotating structures, so that the student is able to xe2x80x9cshiftxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cdialxe2x80x9d the component into a pre-determined location within the optical train in order to perform the intended optical demonstrations. The invention may contain diode lasers, light-emitting diodes, light bulbs, lenses, modulators, holograms, prisms, interferometers, polarizers, slits, apertures, detectors, and fiber optics. Because the optics are readily selectable within the optical train, a large variety of different demonstrations can be conveniently performed. A second type of disclosed architecture employs linkable modules, each containing one or more components which can be linked together in a variety of permutations in order to perform many different demonstrations.